Pronouns are words we use to replace nouns or noun phrases once we’ve established what we’re talking about. This lets us avoid repeating the same words and keeps our language flowing smoothly.
For instance:
- Example 1 (without pronouns): Marie, Rosie, and Tim are tired and hungry because Marie, Rosie, and Tim have been travelling all day.
- Example 2 (with pronouns): Marie, Rosie, and Tim are tired and hungry because they have been travelling all day.
Both examples above mean the same thing.
However, in Example 1, Marie, Rosie, and Tim is repeated, which makes the sentence feel repetitive and clunky.
In contrast, Example 2 uses the subject pronoun they to refer back to those names. This makes the sentence more concise and natural.
Put simply, once we’ve introduced nouns (like Marie, Rosie, and Tim from the example above), we can replace them with pronouns to avoid repetition.
The Core Role of Pronouns
Pronouns stand in for nouns or noun phrases that would otherwise be repeated. This is their primary role.
When a pronoun refers back to a noun, that noun is called the antecedent.
Example:
- The council approved the proposal. Shortly afterwards, it began planning how it could implement the plan.
Both occurrences of it serve as pronouns that refer back to The council (the antecedent). The use of pronouns here not only trims away extra words to avoid repetition, but it also weaves together related parts of the sentence for better flow.
The same sentence without using pronouns would be unnatural-sounding and long-winded:
- The council approved the proposal. Shortly afterwards, the council began planning how the council could implement the plan.
Noun Phrases
Whether referring to a single noun or a multi-word noun phrase, pronouns serve the same function: they replace antecedents.
Example:
- The Mona Lisa painting, displayed at the Louvre Museum, attracts millions of visitors every year. It stands as an enduring icon of art.
The antecedent is the entire noun phrase The Mona Lisa painting, and the pronoun it replaces this entire phrase rather than just a single noun.
In a nutshell, using pronouns helps to keep our message concise and ensures a smoother, more natural flow in communication.
The Grammatical Functions of Pronouns
The grammatical functions of pronouns are directly tied to their role as words that replace nouns. They perform several key functions in sentences, from showing agreement with their antecedents to expressing possession and taking on various syntactic roles.
– Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
A key function of pronouns is to reflect the properties of the nouns (or antecedents) that they stand in for. In other words, pronouns must match their antecedents in terms of gender, number, and person.
For example:
Gender
- The local boxer remains undefeated; she has nine wins under her belt so far.
The feminine pronoun she tells us that the antecedent the boxer is female.
Number
- The players are warming up before the game. They look ready and confident.
The plural pronoun They agrees with the plural noun antecedent The players, which refers to more than one person.
Person
- Harry and I met at uni. We have been friends ever since.
The antecedent Harry and I is first-person plural, so the pronoun that replaces it must also be first-person plural: we.
– Expressing Possession
Pronouns allow us to indicate possession or connection between things.
Example:
- I found some money on the floor in the locker room. John says that it is his, but I’m not sure whether to believe him.
The possessive pronoun his refers back to the noun John and indicates that the money belongs to him (allegedly).
As with other pronouns, possessive pronouns help us avoid unnecessary repetition, such as ‘John says that it is John’s money’.
– Pointing to Specific Nouns and Adding Details
Relative pronouns such as which and that let us attach extra descriptive or identifying details to nouns we have already mentioned.
They allow us to provide a range of information about the nouns they refer to, such as characteristics, context, or background details.
Example:
- My car, which I have had for years without issue, decided to break down 300 miles from home.
The pronoun which introduces the clause ‘which I have had for years without issue’ and provides additional information about the noun it refers to – in this case, a car.
Alternatively, relative pronouns can be used to specify exactly which noun is being referenced:
- The letter that arrived this morning confirmed that we had won a prize.
The relative pronoun that introduces the clause ‘that arrived this morning‘. This clearly identifies the specific letter being referenced.
Other examples:
- The movie that we watched last night was absolutely brilliant!
- The spin class that starts at 6 pm is always packed.
- Turns out, the person who angrily tailgated me was my own mum.
- The British Museum, which allows free entry, is home to one of the most extensive collections of art, antiquities, and cultural treasures in the world.
– The Syntactic Functions of Pronouns
Syntactic functions refer to the role a word plays in a sentence’s structure. As pronouns stand in for nouns, they take on these core syntactic roles:
1) Pronouns as Subjects (pronouns that perform the action of a verb).
- Marcus reads every night. He enjoys history the most.
The pronoun he is the subject that performs the action of the verb enjoys.
Other examples:
- You need to see this.
- She goes for a run every morning before work.
- Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute to save her sister, and in turn, she sparked a rebellion against the Capitol.
2) Pronouns as Objects (pronouns that receive the action of a verb).
- I thanked him for his help.
The pronoun him comes after the verb (to thank) and serves as its object.
Other examples:
- We joined them for dinner.
- Sarah invited us to the party.
- John greeted them as soon as they arrived.
3) Pronouns as Complements (pronouns that complete the meaning of verbs)
There are two main types of complements: subject complements and object complements.
Subject Complements
Subject complements follow linking verbs (such as is, was, become, seem, appear) and identify or describe the subject.
- “It was you. All along it was you!” – Hank Schrader [Breaking Bad, 2008]
The linking verb was serves as a bridge between the subject it and the complement pronoun you.
Here, it refers to the criminal mastermind who Hank has been pursuing and you identifies the person standing in front of him – namely, his brother-in-law, Walt.
Other examples:
- It was he who left the lights on.
- It was I who ate your chocolate bar.
Note: In everyday English, it’s more natural to use object pronouns rather than subject pronouns for subject complements. For example, most people would say ‘It was him who left the lights on.’ instead of ‘It was he who left the lights on.’
Object Complements
Object complements follow certain action verbs (such as name, call, consider, make, paint) and identify or describe the object of the verb.
- They named their daughter Maya. → They named her Maya.
The pronoun her is the direct object, and Maya is the object complement that identifies what she was named.
Other examples:
- The committee elected John chairman. → The committee elected him chairman.
- Everyone calls my brother Gaz. → Everyone calls him Gaz.
- The judges declared Jasmine the winner. → The judges declared her the winner.
4) Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions (pronouns that follow prepositions to provide more information).
- He went to play mini golf with her on their first date.
The pronoun her is the object of the preposition with, which specifies who accompanied him on the mini golf outing. When a pronoun is an object of a preposition, it always comes after that preposition.
Other examples:
- I sat next to them.
- This gift is for you.
- Were they talking about us?
Pronoun Categorisation
Pronouns can be divided into various categories. In this unit, we’ll explore each of the types listed in the table below in more detail.
Types of Pronouns
| Pronoun Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Pronouns | Refer to specific persons or things, functioning as subjects or objects | I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, them |
| Demonstrative Pronouns | Point out specific nouns | this, that, these, those |
| Possessive Pronouns | Indicate ownership or possession | mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs |
| Reflexive Pronouns | Refer back to the subject of the sentence | myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves |
| Interrogative Pronouns | Introduce questions by asking about a person or thing | who, whom, whose, which, what |
| Relative Pronouns | Introduce clauses that add essential or extra information about a noun or noun phrase | who, whom, whose, that, which |
| Indefinite Pronouns | Refer to unspecified persons or things | anyone, everybody, somebody, nothing, each, few, several, many, all |